Business representatives and LGBT activists came together with unprecedented testimony in support of an anti-discrimination bill Wednesday, saying the legislation would help Ohio compete with other states.
House Bill 160, introduced by Rep. Nicki Antonio, D-Lakewood, would ban discrimination in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodation based on sexual orientation or gender identity. While Antonio, the legislature's only openly gay member, had introduced essentially the same bill several times before, this is the first time the bill has progressed to the point of receiving testimony from supporters.
More than 70 proponents of the bill, representing advocacy organizations such as Equality Ohio and TransOhio, business organizations such as the Ohio and Columbus chambers of commerce, as well as individuals and other groups, attended the Ohio House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee meeting to speak on the bill. There was not enough time for everyone to testify.
Many LGBT individuals spoke at the hearing about how they have been discriminated against in Ohio, including losing homes and jobs and being denied public accommodation. Theodore Pavlich, a Cleveland native, said he lost his apartment when his landlord found out he was transgender.
"I had no protection," Pavlich said. "It was totally legal for him to ask me to leave on the basis of my gender identity. Maybe I could have fought him, but I was living hand-to-mouth at the time and couldn’t handle something else on my plate."
Matthew Green, an associate professor at the Cleveland Marshall College of Law, said 22 states and Washington, D.C., currently prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, and 20 of those states also include gender identity under those protections.
The protections wouldn’t just help individuals, advocates say. Passing LGBT anti-discrimination laws would make Ohio businesses more competitive, Don Boyd, the director of labor and legal affairs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, said.
"In order to compete, Ohio businesses need the best and brightest talent from all walks of life to feel welcome and to call Ohio home," Boyd said. "Ensuring that Ohio’s future business competitiveness is good for all of Ohio and enhances respect for all employers and employees is key."
While cities including Columbus and Cleveland have protections for LGBT individuals, local laws can be confusing to both individuals and businesses seeking to attract more potential employees, Boyd said.
"As with other areas of labor and employment law, a patchwork of local labor ordinances can create a compliance nightmare for Ohio’s employers," Boyd said.
The bill has the support of a variety of businesses, including Ohio Business Competes, a coalition of more than 300 Ohio businesses.
Some opponents of the bill, however, say it would be harmful to Ohio businesses and could result in extensive litigation.
"It’s carving out special rights as civil rights to a sexual behavior," said Chris Long, president of the Ohio Christian Alliance. "It would actually open up businesses and individuals to a plethora of lawsuits."
Aaron Baer, president of Citizens for Community Values, said the legislation would be a "disaster" for Ohio, bullying small businesses and churches.
"This legislation has been used across the country to penalize small businesses for not wanting to participate in same-sex weddings, threaten Christian ministries for wanting staff to hold to Christian orthodoxy, and mandate that biological men be allowed in women’s restrooms, locker rooms, and other private facilities," he said.
Antonio said all current exemptions for churches still exist in the current bill.
The Rev. J. Bennett Guess, executive director of the Ohio American Civil Liberties Union and a United Church of Christ minister, said in written testimony that Ohio has been on the "wrong side of history."
"As a person of faith, as an advocate for civil rights, and as a gay person myself, I believe Ohio has been on the wrong side of history, but today we can begin to remedy that sad reality," Guess’ testimony read. "The time has come for Ohio lawmakers to do the right thing, to pass this legislation that will make our state more inclusive, safe and fair for all who live and work here."
Bennett Leckrone is a fellow at the E.W. Scripps Statehouse News Bureau.
bleckrone@dispatch.com
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